IT has the potential to offer universal access to information, regardless of distance, age, race, gender or other personal characteristics. However, the above characteristics, and cost, can also bar individuals or groups from access. For example, while telelearning brings previously unavailable opportunities to everyone's doorstep, the cost of hardware, software or course fees might place the learning beyond the reach of an average person.
A famous program that attempts to fight digital divide in poor and rural countries with is ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD which offers cheap laptops for children with an open source OS which includes functions such as interconection between them. These laptops have the goal of being affordable for governments while offering the children the possibility of learning about computers and access to information thus reducing the digital divide.
Definition
IT has the potential to offer universal access to information, regardless of distance, age, race, gender or other personal characteristics. However, the above characteristics, and cost, can also bar individuals or groups from access. For example, while telelearning brings previously unavailable opportunities to everyone's doorstep, the cost of hardware, software or course fees might place the learning beyond the reach of an average person.
Wiki activity.
http://churchillcollegebiblio.wikispaces.com/ITGS_digital_divide
News Articles
£98 PCs target UK digital divide
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12205412
100 Punds Digital divide laptops
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12205412
Examples
A famous program that attempts to fight digital divide in poor and rural countries with is ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD which offers cheap laptops for children with an open source OS which includes functions such as interconection between them. These laptops have the goal of being affordable for governments while offering the children the possibility of learning about computers and access to information thus reducing the digital divide.
http://one.laptop.org/
http://www.olpcmexico.org/